This invention relates to a new and improved postcard-type mailing piece. More particularly, the invention relates to a mailing piece which may be of postcard size, with one or more removable message labels adhesively bonded to one surface thereof. Still more particularly, the invention is directed to a mailing piece having at least one removable message label with a coating of an adhesive such as to enable the message label to readhere to a variety of surfaces following removal from the mailing piece.
Mailing pieces have heretofore been designed and constructed for mailing to which have been applied advertising, commercial or other messages or photographs. All such prior articles, however, suffer from one or more disadvantages especially when it is contemplated to apply a multi-color printing to one or both surfaces of the mailing piece. In some cases, adhesives used were either inadequate to resist postal handling, in which case the message label may be lost, or if strong enough to bond to the paper mailing piece, did not satisfactorily adhere to surfaces of other materials. The adhesive used to bond the message label to the paper stock of the mailing piece must be strong enough to withstand handling during postal or other distribution yet have sufficient bonding strength and releasability such that the message label may be removed from the mailing piece and reapplied to a variety of surfaces which may be made of paper, cloth, glass, metal, wood, plastic etc. The surface of the paper stock for the mailing piece must permit adhesion by the adhesively bonded message label but must also be capable of accepting and retaining marking by inks from writing implements such as ballpoint pens, felt tip pens, pencils, typewriter ribbons, as well as multi-color printing, without smudging and bleeding. Similarly, the paper stock used for the message label must be capable of receiving multi-color printing, also without smudging and bleeding.
Various articles have been proposed for mailing pieces, some of which include peelable message labels on one side thereof. For ordinary ink-written messages, bleeding of the ink through the paper stock used for postcard manufacture is not a problem. It is sufficient to merely employ paper stock of sufficient thickness to resist penetration of the ink. However, for mailing pieces with removable message labels that are designed to have multi-color printing, e.g. four or eight color printing, applied to one or both sides thereof, it is necessary to carefully select construction materials including paper stock and adhesives for the mailing piece and the removable message label.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,881 to Sabb describes a postcard for attaching and mailing pictures comprising a single, non-laminated, piece of paper stock. An address and message may be written on one surface and the other surface may be covered with an adhesive for holding a photograph in place during mailing. The photograph is removable by peeling from the body of the card.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,805,816 to Morgan describes a composite business mailing card having one surface which may be addressed or inscribed and postage applied thereto; and another surface having a coating affixed to the entire face which is resistent to permanent adhesion of pressure sensitive adhesive materials. Information labels having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating are applied to the adhesive resistant coating surface of the card. While the composite mailing card may be suitable for some purposes, the patent does not describe a mailing piece with removable message labels suitable for accepting multi-color printing on one side of the mailing piece and removable message labels which may be also with multi-color printing on the opposing side of the mailing piece. Moreover, both of the aforementioned patents do not describe particular paper stocks or adhesives which may be used.